_Covering the 4' by 8' ply-wood boards with colorful illustrations created by Chicago grade

school artists will not change the world or the situations that produced this urban neglect.

However, these uplifting images will provide a glimpse into the lives that thrive within these

communities._

__'Post Our Bills' begins with recruitment, to establish a base of volunteers and

paid apprentices from all over the metropolitan Chicago area. We have established a working

collaboration with several high schools in Chicago and it’s surrounding suburbs. In the early

stages of the program a curriculum is designed by the CoopImage staff and high school

apprentices. The lesson plans will provide insight into the causes and history of the

abandoned buildings (foreclosures, fires, etc.). Once apprentices present their lessons to the

elementary school children, printed templates containing images of boarded windows will be

distributed to the students. A variety of mediums such as linoleum prints, potato stamps, and

stenciling will be taught and available to complete these templates. Curriculum with thegrade

school aged children will last two weeks and be conducted in collaboration with other non-

profit groups within the affected areas. These images will be collected and converted to

mediums for large scale multiples (screen printing, stencils, etc.) so that more boards can be

beautified by Cooperative Image Group volunteers and it's paid apprentices. After boards are

painted they will then be placed on the abandoned buildings and photographed for the

coopimage.org database, where all ages of artist involved can virtually monitor each

installation of their masterpiece.

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